143: Ferryman

"The Ruoshui Secret Realm is exceptionally dangerous, especially the Ruoshui River in its depths. Legend has it that even a goose feather cannot float on it, and immortal power cannot cross it. Anyone below the level of a True Immortal who steps into it will surely have their bones eroded and their soul dissipated. Even a True Immortal expert might fall if they are not careful!"

"In every previous opening, more than thirty percent of the prodigies from all sides have perished!"

"It is far too dangerous!"

Hearing this, the Disciples looked at each other and smiled. Shi Tian cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Senior. However, since this is Revered Master's command, there must be a deep meaning behind it! We believe Revered Master has made arrangements. Even if there is danger, it is simply our path of tempering."

In their words, they were filled with blind trust and reverence for Lin Chen.

Seeing this, Liu the Half-Immortal wanted to advise them further, but Xiao Bufan asked back curiously, "Senior, you look unfamiliar. May I ask who you are?"

"Me?" Liu the Half-Immortal was just about to explain.

Right then, a voice as loud as a bell, filled with unbelievable pleasant surprise and excitement, rang out like a clap of thunder: "Old Ghost Liu?! Is that you, you Old Charlatan?! You... you're really not dead?!"

Before the voice had even faded, a figure as sturdy as a mountain, radiating the vast aura of the Early Stage Heavenly Immortal realm, landed on the square like a meteor. It was Li Tiangang, who had rushed over upon hearing the news!

His eyes were wide as he stared intently at Liu the Half-Immortal, as if he had seen a ghost.

Liu the Half-Immortal trembled violently at the sound and snapped his head around.

"Li... Old Ghost Li! It really is you! Sect Master Lin truly did not lie to me!"

Liu the Half-Immortal was shaking uncontrollably, his voice changing pitch from excitement: "It's been a million years! To think I could see you again... Ah, you, you, you, you've actually broken through to the Early Stage Heavenly Immortal realm! Didn't you just undergo Ascension?"

At this moment, Liu the Half-Immortal's mind was filled with questions.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you all about it slowly later."

"The Sect Master has already told me that from now on, you are a Guest Elder of the Wending Sect!"

"Coming to my Wending Sect is much better than being out there exposed to the wind and rain!"

"With me here, who would dare be disrespectful to you?"

Li Tiangang laughed loudly and slapped Liu the Half-Immortal's shoulder hard, overwhelmed with emotion: "Old Ghost, I never expected that we brothers would have a day of reunion here in the Upper Realm! The heavens have eyes!"

"Yes! I also never expected to see you again..."

Liu the Half-Immortal's eyes grew moist. After a million years, reuniting with an old friend felt like a lifetime ago.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he urged, "Old Ghost Li, why don't you advise the Disciples? That Ruoshui Secret Realm really cannot be entered!"

"Haha... You're still the same, worrying about things that don't concern you!"

Li Tiangang smiled and said, "With the Sect Master around, they won't run into any major problems! Don't mind them. Come, come, come, let's go drink and have a good chat! Tell me how you've been all these years and where you've been!"

"They..."

Liu the Half-Immortal looked hesitant and wanted to say more, but he was dragged into the Sect by Li Tiangang.

"This Senior... is a friend of the Old Ancestor?"

The Disciples understood. It seemed this 'Old Ghost Liu' mentioned by the Old Ancestor was an old friend. They had reunited in Lingxuan Heaven after a million years, and 'Old Ghost Liu' had even been hired as a Guest Elder by the Sect Master.

"Don't worry about so much. Let's head to the Ruoshui Secret Realm first. If we don't go now, I'm afraid it'll be too late."

"Right, don't mind them."

The teleportation array activated, and the Disciples' figures turned into streaks of light, disappearing... Half a year later, deep within the Ruoshui Secret Realm.

Under a gray sky, a wide and dark river stretched across the path ahead. The river water was as thick as ink and showed no ripples, yet it radiated a deathly aura that swallowed all vitality.

This was the notoriously famous Ruoshui River.

Prodigy Cultivators from all sides had already gathered by the riverbank. It was noisy with people, yet no one dared to approach the shore lightly.

Plop!

"Ah— Save... glug glug..."

Another shrill scream mixed with the sound of drowning. A Cultivator who didn't believe the warnings tried to use a Magic Treasure to force a crossing. As a result, both the person and the Magic Treasure were instantly swallowed by the Ruoshui. Not even a bubble surfaced as they sank into the endless darkness.

The shore was filled with an uproar and mockery.

"Another one looking for death. Truly stupid!"

"Hmph, bumpkin. Did he think he could cross the Ruoshui just because he has some cultivation? Doesn't he even know the legend that 'a goose feather cannot float, and immortal power cannot cross' the Ruoshui?"

"Try it and you'll die. Now he's resting in peace, his curiosity satisfied."

Several young men and women, dressed in luxurious clothes and clearly from major powers, sneered as they discussed, their eyes filled with a sense of superiority.

The group from the Wending Sect was also among the crowd.

Xiao Bufan frowned, feeling the strange force field radiating from the Ruoshui, and cursed under his breath, "Damn, this river is so freaking wicked! Sending Divine Sense in is like throwing a stone into the ocean, and there's even a faint feeling of it pulling at my Divine Soul!"

Yang Hao's expression was grave as he whispered, "Senior Brother Xiao, stay calm!"

"This Ruoshui River was placed under an extremely strong Restriction by an ancient True Immortal expert using heaven-reaching methods. Not only is flight impossible, but any Spell or Magic Treasure that touches the Ruoshui will instantly fail and be swallowed!"

"To cross the river, one must wait for the Ferryman to appear and ride his dread-crossing skiff."

"Ferryman? How do you know?" Su Muhuang's beautiful eyes flickered as she asked softly.

"It is recorded in my Family's ancient texts," Yang Hao explained. "Prodigies of our Yang Family have come here to train for generations. According to the records, every time the Secret Realm opens, a mysterious Ferryman will come sailing a boat. But not everyone can board; one must be a 'person of fate'."

"person of fate?"

Xiao Bufan sneered, "In my opinion, it's just based on talent and strength, right? The strong are respected; where do all these mysterious 'fates' come from?"

Shi Tian said steadily, "Junior Brother Xiao, do not speak recklessly. A True Immortal Legacy has its own standards for choosing a Revered Master. Perhaps it does not depend entirely on talent and cultivation."

While everyone was discussing, a small boat quietly appeared in the mist deep on the river surface.

The hull of the boat was ancient, appearing like wood yet not wood, radiating a hazy clear light that kept the surrounding Ruoshui Death Qi at bay. A figure wearing a coir raincoat and a bamboo hat stood quietly at the stern, holding a long pole, their face unseen.

It was that mysterious Ferryman.

The dread-crossing skiff slowly approached the shore but did not touch it completely, stopping ten zhang away.

The Ferryman slightly lifted his bamboo hat, seemingly examining the crowd on the shore.

Immediately, a commotion broke out on the shore. All the prodigies held their breath, their eyes filled with longing.

The Ferryman lightly tapped his long pole, and several beams of soft clear light shot out, accurately enveloping seven or eight people on the shore.

Those few people were first stunned, then ecstatic. Their bodies were pulled by the clear light, and they landed lightly on the small boat.

The people chosen by the clear light included men and women, with both high and low cultivation; there seemed to be no specific pattern.

"Selected! They were selected!"

"Why them? Is my talent really inferior to that person's?"

"These people of fate... where does the fate actually come from?"

Those who were not selected immediately became restless, feeling either envy, jealousy, or confusion.

"person of fate... what defines fate? It truly is unpredictable." Su Muhuang's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

Xiao Bufan crossed his arms and snorted, "I say he's just picking based on talent and strength. He's just putting on a show to fool us!"

"Junior Brother!"

With one look from Shi Tian, Xiao Bufan immediately shut his mouth.